Pills Found at Prince's Estate Were Counterfeit, Contained Fentanyl

Drugs obtained from Prince’s estate after his death contained fentanyl, a painkiller many times more powerful than morphine, the Associated Press reported. The drug was present in the singer’s autopsy report and his death was ruled an accidental overdose.

An official, who chose to remain anonymous due to the ongoing investigation, told AP that nearly two dozen pills found in one Aleve bottle were falsely labeled as Watson 385, a painkiller used to provide relief for back pain, rheumatoid arthritis and cough. The official explained that at least one of the pills tested positive for fentanyl.

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“Tests on Prince prior to his death did not show fentanyl in his system, which means he wasn’t a long-time abuser of that drug, but likely took the fatal dose sometime in the 24 hours before he died,” the official said.

Investigators are leaning toward the possibility that Prince was not aware that he was taking fentanyl.